Robert Lowry (1826-1899) was a Baptist pastor and hymn writer whose gospel songs “Shall We Gather at the River,” “Christ Arose” and “Nothing but the Blood of Jesus” are among his best known.
Born in Philadelphia on March 12, 1826, he was the son of Crozier Lowry, who had emigrated from Northern Ireland.
At the age of 17, Robert Lowry had a conversion experience. He joined the First Baptist Church Philadelphia and became a Sunday School teacher and a member of the choir.
Lowry studied at the University of Lewisburg (now Bucknell University) in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, to prepare himself for the ministry. He graduated in 1854 with the highest honors in his class and was ordained into the ministry.
Pastorates
He held pastorates in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey, having much success in all his churches. Although he considered his major vocation to be preaching, countless people know him better as a hymn writer. He composed the music, and sometimes the music and text, of more than 500 hymns.
He wrote the words and music to “Shall We Gather at the River” in July 1864 while pastor at Hanson Place Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York. During a heatwave in the city, he was lounging in a state of physical exhaustion when he suddenly imagined the passage in Revelation 22:1 — “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” With the verse in mind, he wrote: “Shall we gather at the river/ Where bright angel feet have trod/ With its crystal tide forever/ Flowing by the throne of God?”
‘Christ Arose’
In 1874 he penned the Easter song, “Christ Arose.” After reflecting on the resurrection as written in Luke 24:6–8, Lowry “found himself seated at the little pump organ in the parlor of his home, and, in a very spontaneous fashion, there came forth the music and the words.”
Two years later, he wrote the words and music to “Nothing but the Blood of Jesus.” He based it upon Hebrews 9:22 — “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”
In addition to his pastoral work and his hymn writing, he oversaw the production of more than 20 hymnals.
Lowry died on Nov. 25, 1899, in Plainfield, New Jersey. The eulogist at his funeral summarized his life and work with this quote: “His melodies and songs were but the expression of the man’s heart and his character, and they attracted all to him.”
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